I prefer Aspirin because it still works great for a hangover. Many still don't seem to know that Tylenol and alcohol don't mix.

I would rather accept the information of the doctor than that of the pharmacist - thank you very much. Stick to your own vocation please and leave the information about these things to the people who would be prescribing them. You dispense them.<BR>

cherry, you are funny!!<BR><BR>Pharmacists know a heck of a lot more about drugs than doctors do. Think!! Pharmacists not only sell drugs, but they even make some of them. <BR><BR>Oh, cherry, you think you are so smart.

Doctors tend to learn quickly what they don't know and know enough to check it. I've met any number of pharmacists who have no idea what they don't know because they aren't anywhere near the people who are actually sick most of the time. <BR><BR>I have had a pharmacist tell me grapefruit juice has no interactions, that it was all "old wives tales." ANd I was once given a packet of Ritalin! when I went to pick up a lotion for a skin condition -- had my name and the correct drug on the label but it certainly wasn't the right thing inside!<BR><BR>Pharmacists have college plus a year or so of training. They learn a lot about chemistry but they haven't been to medical school and they haven't treated patients. And why on earth would you quote the website for one particular disease for generic information on a drug? Treating lupus with aspirin is, of course, a silly idea. But there are other things -- anti-inflammatory purposes -- for which aspirin is applicable. Why do you suppose it's prescribed to prevent heart problems -- not because it's a pain-killer but because of the particular way it is anti-inflammatory.<BR><BR>Gerroffit.

Maybe he said no asprin because it is harder on the stomach than tylenol, etc?

Aspirin--one pill, half-strengh daily--is to thin the blood enough to prevent clots, not for any anti-inflammatory purpose. <BR><BR> Aspirin is not an anti-inflammatory drug. <BR><BR> Look it up in the PDR. <BR><BR>You have to take a hefty amount before it has any anti-inflammatory properties to speak of. (By the way, someone with Lupus would take aspirin for pain relief--my mother does)

Don't know about Rick Steve's advice. I suspect the answer is not so scientific as you may think. You cannot buy tylenol over-the-counter in many European countries, whereas, I suspect aspirin is readily available.

Hey Liz, your husband's a physician and you can't even spell aspirin? I'd be WAY concerned! Hope you don't have kids. Can you spell infarction? Thrombosis? Asthma? Can you read the labels on prescription bottles? WHOA!!! And NO, aspirin is NOT an anti-inflammatory. Better stick to shopping and home decorating, Liz. <BR><BR>

Hi, Dave. I do have a Physician's Desk Reference and it lists aspirin as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug. Is there something Im missing??<BR><BR>It also states that aspirin acts as an anti-inflammatory by its "ability to prevent the manufacture of prostoglandins."<BR><BR>It also states, because of the chance of Reye's Syndome, the Center for Disease Control recommends that children under 17 not take aspirin. They should take acetaminophen-containing products instead.<BR><BR>This is probably why Rick Steve does not recommend it.

<BR>Nice thread, amusing and high spirited, though inconclusive so far. I'm an aspirin man; one a night is supposed to keep the heart surgeon away.<BR>Sorry to ask a dumb question: what is the meaning of "anti-inflammatory?" Examples? Maybe the doctors and pharmacists have a different definition? <BR>

Okay, here's the scoop. <BR><BR>Aspirin IS an an anti-inflammatory agent. It (like ibuprofen and naproxen and all the other NSAIDs, aka non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) works by interrupting one of the central pathways in inflammation, prostaglandin production. Inflammation is your immune system's response to injury and/or infection, and there are plenty of drugs that can minimize it by interrupting others pathways (steroids, for instance). <BR><BR>In the bad old days aspirin WAS used to treat chronic inflammatory conditions (because it was all we had), but the side effect profile was bad (gastrointestinal bleeding being one of the worst), and drug companies have worked hard to manufacture drugs that are more powerful, require less frequent dosing, and don't rip the lining right off of your stomach. Celebrex and Vioxx are advertised as having even less of this side-effect, as they were designed to target the anti-inflammatory arm of prostaglandin synthesis only. <BR><BR>These days aspirin is more likely to be recommended for low level anticoagulation (the baby aspirin thing). <BR><BR>The particular class of drugs (salicylates) to which aspirin belongs, by the way, gets its name from "salix", latin for "willow tree", from which the original drug (not aspirin, it was a later drug made to lessen side effects of the original) was isolated.

I think the reason Rick says not to take Aspirin is because he knows it causes so much bad feeling and nasty comments!!

and how many years of medical school does Rick Steves have?

This is for Rex: I thought that there was a large study that determined that ibuprofen was safe for kids (no Reyes association). Can you add any info. about that? I hate giving the kids Tylenol when they have sinus headaches--in my personal experience, the tissue swelling and pressure need to be relieved, not just the pain.<BR><BR>And by the way, I can give support to clotting deficiencies caused by ibuprofin. Because of severe sinus problems, I took so many ibuprofin for pain over such a length of time that it took a week off of it for my blood to clot enough to get nasel surgery. I had four clotting tests during that time period before they could operate. <BR><BR>Another sidelight--there was a recent study that said ibuprofin can't replace aspirin as a "safe" blood thinner. Instead, taking ibuprofin during the same 12-24 hour time period as the baby aspirin interferes with the healthful benefit of the aspirin. I felt bad when I read that. Even though I must take a baby aspirin a day for anticardiolipid antibodies (they create a propensity for thrombosis), I still love ibruprofin for a pulled muscle. <BR><BR>Don't you wish you could just call up the people the do the studies and ask, "Does this mean I can or can't..."???

This is for Rex: I thought that there was a large study that determined that ibuprofen was safe for kids (no Reyes association). Can you add any info. about that? I hate giving the kids Tylenol when they have sinus headaches--in my personal experience, the tissue swelling and pressure need to be relieved, not just the pain.<BR><BR>And by the way, I can give support to clotting deficiencies caused by ibuprofin. Because of severe sinus problems, I took so many ibuprofin for pain over such a length of time that it took a week off of it for my blood to clot enough to get nasel surgery. I had four clotting tests during that time period before they could operate. <BR><BR>Another sidelight--there was a recent study that said ibuprofin can't replace aspirin as a "safe" blood thinner. Instead, taking ibuprofin during the same 12-24 hour time period as the baby aspirin interferes with the healthful benefit of the aspirin. I felt bad when I read that. Even though I must take a baby aspirin a day for anticardiolipid antibodies (they create a propensity for thrombosis), I still love ibruprofin for a pulled muscle. <BR><BR>Don't you wish you could just call up the people who do the studies and ask, "Does this mean I can or can't..."???

Ibuprofen is indeed approved for children and infants. The FDA reviews the "labeling" of over-the-counter medications directed specifically at children, and these products would not exist for sale in the US without their approval:<BR><BR>Children’s Motrin (ibuprofen) oral suspension 100 mg/5 mL;<BR><BR>Children’s/Junior Strength Motrin (ibuprofen) chewable tablets, 50<BR>and 100 mg;<BR><BR>Junior Strength Motrin (ibuprofen) tablets, 100 mg; and<BR><BR>Childrens Motrin (ibuprofen) drops, 50 mg/1.25 mL.<BR>

up<BR>

Rick Steves is an idiot.

sick of sick of fill-in-the-blank.<BR>

Stop the arguments. Forget both Aspirin and Tylenol. Take 500-1,000 mg of Vitamin C a day, wash your hands frequently and forget colds!